Nail Biters: how do you stop your habit?

[Nippo]

I have a very terrible nail biting habit. From looking online I seem to believe it is a common issue, so I'm wondering if there are any other nail-biters here and if you were able to stop the  problem (or if you're still struggling with it like I am). I feel like ive tried so many things but I end up coming back full circle to having really short nails.

[Cele]

I uhhhh just stopped to be honest. I liked how long nails look. (Now I bite the skin around the nails instead oops.)

But I think that painting your nails can work. At least I don't wanna bite into them if there's nail polish.

[tarraxahum]

Okay, uh. Time to put myself on blast, I guess.

I don't remember how it started, definitely was an anxiety byproduct, but by now I'm in a curious situation. Like, I don't exactly bite them absent-mindedly or on reflex anymore, not even when I'm nervous. Well, maybe sometimes, but veeeery rarely.

But. I'm so used to having short nails (and I do prefer them that way, I don't paint my nails anyway) that the moment they grow out even the tiniest bit, I'm getting highly annoyed and want to get rid of them.

The catch is, well, firstly, I'm too lazy to go to the bathroom and look for tools to do it proper. But secondly and more importantly I just HATE how scissors/nail clippers feel on my nails. I bodily cringe and wriggle at the sensation and YUCK. Sensory issue, maybe, I don't know.

Sooo uuuh pardon for potentially being gross, but by this point I just bite my nails off... intentionally? All at once, the same length, only when they aren't visibly dirty and I spit them out into trash so that they don't harm my stomach. I, of course, do that when I'm alone.

My parents are frankly disgusted at their adult kid doing THAT (which they only know 'cause they never see me clipping them nails), but we've gone through every method imaginable at some point in my teenagerhood and I persisted, so, you know... It is what it is, I guess.

I've tried going back to tools, but that just throws me in a vicious circle of avoiding the repulsive sensation and letting the nails grow out and then getting pissed about it, so I stuck with the pass of gross survival 

If anyone knows methods of trimming your nails that don't involve the conventional tools - be my guest...

[Memory]

Stopped with the end of school time. Now that indicates a pretty stressful time in retrospect, which is definetly was!

So that means, you have to organise yourself properly to have less stress. Maybe the nail biting will go away then.

Nowadays, biting the nails off is only an emergency for me, if something got damaged out of my living place. When crafting things for example, nails have a tendency to get stuck somewhere and break.

@tarraxahum: What about using a nail file? Would it make the nail shorter after using it for a lot of time?

[tarraxahum]

What about using a nail file? Would it make the nail shorter after using it for a lot of time?

Filing also feels the same way (although I admittedly still do it so that I don't scratch everything and everyone including myself)

[Nippo]

But I think that painting your nails can work. At least I don't wanna bite into them if there's nail polish.

I've tried using a clear nail polish with a bad taste on it and somehow my instincts still end up fighting through it. The nail polish reminds me that I shouldn't be biting my nails but I continue anyway... it really sucks. I've considered painting my nails but I don't really want to draw attention to them given how short they are. I think I might actually pick them more if I ended up painting them.

I don't remember how it started, definitely was an anxiety byproduct, but by now I'm in a curious situation. Like, I don't exactly bite them absent-mindedly or on reflex anymore, not even when I'm nervous. Well, maybe sometimes, but veeeery rarely.

I figured out that three large triggers for my nail-biting habit is boredom, hunger, and anxiety, and I'm sure there are many more triggers that I am not sure about. I think sometimes I will bite them if they just don't look right to me.

[Memory]

Bubble gum. Some people have bad habits and chewing gum does help a bit (my stepdad likes to vape but he chews gum to stop vaping for a bit when he's at work or something)

[Memory]

Might have been an urban legend, but I've heard about people who never have to cut their nails, because they wear them down through their work.

However I forgot which job that was... probably something with hand-crafting and rough surfaces. Maybe something with rocks? Was it a farmer who digs a lot in the ground?

So solution: Get a nail-degrading job? Scratch a stone every day?

[IndigoGolem]

I'm a little late to the topic but this is something people still deal with all the time so i don't mind.

I considered putting something spicy or otherwise flavorful on my fingers so i'd notice every time i did it, but i didn't want to get residue on everything i touched. What i ended up doing is just putting on gloves whenever i find myself biting my nails. They make it impossible to do accidentally. It probably helps that i keep my nails clipped pretty short so there's usually nothing to bite off.

[magicalgurll]

nail polish worked really well for me in high school but before i figured that out, i put a rubber band around my wrist and whenever i caught myself biting my nails, i snapped the rubber band against my wrist—the slight pain created an unconscious negative association with the biting, which helped me at least bite them less often.

if boredom is a biting trigger for you, i might also recommend keeping a fidget cube or something around so your hands are otherwise occupied!

[mothpanic]

use actual nail polish, the flavoured stuff is completely useless. keep replacing it as though you'll die if you're not wearing any. 2 coats makes it way harder to peel off and more uncomfortable to chew. pick a colour you like, even if it draws attention to them or whatever.

glass nail files are a worthwhile investment!! they feel nicer than emery boards (the cheap files that most people are used to), they shorten your nails much faster, and if you really don't want to cut them then you can get away with a quick filing down every other day or so, at least while you get used to your nails growing in. I've had the same one for years now, only cost just under £10 from amazon and it makes maintaining my nails so easy. keeping your nails short at this stage is worth the extra effort.

if there's a specific reason you want to stop, it helps to keep remembering it. any specific task you want to do that requires nails, or a particular length you want to reach, usually makes it all feel more worthwhile. yea I know it's generic advice but it kinda works.

now, if anyone has any advice on how to stop biting the inside of your mouth as a replacement for nail biting, please share. for a friend, of course.

[thefanciestpigeon]

so I realized that it wasn't a bad habit I had to stop, but a sensory need that I had to redirect!

two things about me:

1. I can't stand long nails. if they get even a little bit past the shortest it is possible for them to be, I get overstimulated and tear/bite them off.

2. I fidget with my hands a lot. I need to be doing stuff with my hands.

when an autistic or otherwise neurodivergent person has a stim that hurts them, the solution is not to force them to stop it, but to help find something else that fills the same sensory need. I was not biting my nails because it was a bad habit that I needed to stop doing, but because biting my nails provided something that I needed and if I just stopped without replacing it with something else, my needs would be unmet and I would start biting them again. this is not a lack of willpower, this is a normal reaction to not having your needs met. to stop biting my nails I would need to fulfill these two needs some other way! this was revolutionary to me. I don't bite my nails anymore!

1. I cut my nails every few days. I do not let them get long at all. I file them to make them even shorter. other people can handle normal to long nails but I am not other people and I don't need to care about seeming normal if it causes me distress.

2. I use a nail polish with a peel-off base, so that instead of biting my nails, I can peel the nail polish off of them. this satisfies the same stim, but in a way that doesn't hurt me. it does mean I go through nail polish very fast though

your needs may be different than mine, but if you just can't seem to just stop doing it, try looking at why you bite your nails. identify what it is doing for you (most people don't do things that hurt them for no reason) and find other ways to get those things without hurting yourself. it may take a lot of trial and error but it makes stopping a harmful behaviour incredibly easy because you are working with and listening to your body and brain and now that your needs are being met, you have no reason to engage with the behaviour in the first place!

if it is caused by anxiety, this might mean learning other relaxation strategies or taking steps to lower the stress in your life. if caused by boredom it might mean finding something else to occupy your hands when you are bored. for example. write out possible reasons you might be doing it and brainstorm other solutions. try them, even if they seem weird! if something weird works, that's usually worth seeming weird rather than depriving yourself of what you need to function in order to seem more normal!

now, if anyone has any advice on how to stop biting the inside of your mouth as a replacement for nail biting, please share. for a friend, of course.

I think my approach is likely also effective for other body focused repetitive behaviours or harmful stims, though of course I am not a doctor. I think if you are replacing nail biting with cheek biting then there is likely still an unmet need that you could fulfill in another way, such as chewing gum or a chewable stim toy, perhaps, if it is the chewing sensation that is needed, for example.

[aswestos]

I Have Never Figured Out How To Stop Biting My Nails. The Closest I got Is When I Would Sharpen My Nails To A Sharp Point Like A Cats Claw. I Don't Do This Anymore Because It Is Kind Of Freak Behavior. Now Though, I Have To Put Band Aids Over My Fingers Because I Often Make Myself Bleed. Maybe I Should Start Sharpening My Nails Again. Its Also Expensive To Have To Buy So Many Band Aids